the antiquities of the jews-1-第67章

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28。　When　they　had　made　this　answer；　and　Phineas　had　commended
them　for　it；　he　came　to　Joshua；　and　explained　before　the　people
what　answer　they　had　received。　Now　Joshua　was　glad　that　he　was
under　no　necessity　of　setting　them　in　array；　or　of　leading　them
to　shed　blood；　and　make　war　against　men　of　their　own　kindred；　and
accordingly　he　offered　sacrifices　of　thanksgiving　to　God　for　the
same。　So　Joshua　after　that　dissolved　this　great　assembly　of　the
people；　and　sent　them　to　their　own　inheritances；　while　he　himself
lived　in　Shechem。　But　in　the　twentieth　year　after　this；　when　he
was　very　old；　he　sent　for　those　of　the　greatest　dignity　in　the
several　cities；　with　those　in　authority；　and　the　senate；　and　as
many　of　the　common　people　as　could　be　present；　and　when　they　were
come；　he　put　them　in　mind　of　all　the　benefits　God　had　bestowed　on
them；　which　could　not　but　be　a　great　many；　since　from　a　low
estate　they　were　advanced　to　so　great　a　degree　of　glory　and
plenty；　and　exhorted　them　to　take　notice　of　the　intentions　of
God；　which　had　been　so　gracious　towards　them；　and　told　them　that
the　Deity　would　continue　their　friend　by　nothing　else　but　their
piety；　and　that　it　was　proper　for　him；　now　that　he　was　about　to
depart　out　of　this　life；　to　leave　such　an　admonition　to　them；　and
he　desired　that　they　would　keep　in　memory　this　his　exhortation　to
them。

29。　So　Joshua；　when　he　had　thus　discoursed　to　them；　died；　having
lived　a　hundred　and　ten　years；　forty　of　which　he　lived　with
Moses；　in　order　to　learn　what　might　be　for　his　advantage
afterwards。　He　also　became　their　commander　after　his　death　for
twenty…five　years。　He　was　a　man　that　wanted　not　wisdom　nor
eloquence　to　declare　his　intentions　to　the　people；　but　very
eminent　on　both　accounts。　He　was　of　great　courage　and　magnanimity
in　action　and　in　dangers；　and　very　sagacious　in　procuring　the
peace　of　the　people；　and　of　great　virtue　at　all　proper　seasons。
He　was　buried　in　the　city　of　Timnab；　of　the　tribe　of　Ephraim　（9）
About　the　same　time　died　Eleazar　the　high　priest；　leaving　the
high　priesthood　to　his　son　Phineas。　His　monument　also；　and
sepulcher；　are　in　the　city　of　Gabatha。

CHAPTER　2。

How；　After　The　Death　Of　Joshua　Their　Commander；　The　Israelites
Transgressed　The　Laws　Of　Their　Country；　And　Experienced　Great
Afflictions；　And　When　There　Was　A　Sedition　Arisen；　The　Tribe　Of
Benjamin　Was　Destroyed　Excepting　Only　Six　Hundred　Men。

1。　After　the　death　of　Joshua　and　Eleazar；　Phineas　prophesied；
（10）　that　according　to　God's　will　they　should　commit　the
government　to　the　tribe　of　Judah；　and　that　this　tribe　should
destroy　the　race　of　the　Canaanites；　for　then　the　people　were
concerned　to　learn　what　was　the　will　of　God。　They　also　took　to
their　assistance　the　tribe　of　Simeon；　but　upon　this　condition；
that　when　those　that　had　been　tributary　to　the　tribe　of　Judah
should　be　slain；　they　should　do　the　like　for　the　tribe　of　Simeon。

2。　But　the　affairs　of　the　Canaanites　were　at　this　thee　in　a
flourishing　condition；　and　they　expected　the　Israelites　with　a
great　army　at　the　city　Bezek；　having　put　the　government　into　the
hands　of　Adonibezek；　which　name　denotes　the　Lord　of　Bezek；　for
Adoni　in　the　Hebrew　tongue　signifies　Lord。　Now　they　hoped　to　have
been　too　hard　for　the　Israelites；　because　Joshua　was　dead；　but
when　the　Israelites　had　joined　battle　with　them；　I　mean　the　two
tribes　before　mentioned；　they　fought　gloriously；　and　slew　above
ten　thousand　of　them；　and　put　the　rest　to　flight；　and　in　the
pursuit　they　took　Adonibezek；　who；　when　his　fingers　and　toes　were
cut　off　by　them；　said；　〃Nay；　indeed；　I　was　not　always　to　lie
concealed　from　God；　as　I　find　by　what　I　now　endure；　while　I　have
not　been　ashamed　to　do　the　same　to　seventy…two　kings。〃　（11）　So
they　carried　him　alive　as　far　as　Jerusalem；　and　when　he　was　dead；
they　buried　him　in　the　earth；　and　went　on　still　in　taking　the
cities：　and　when　they　had　taken　the　greatest　part　of　them；　they
besieged　Jerusalem；　and　when　they　had　taken　the　lower　city；　which
was　not　under　a　considerable　time；　they　slew　all　the　inhabitants；
but　the　upper　city　was　not　to　be　taken　without　great　difficulty；
through　the　strength　of　its　walls；　and　the　nature　of　the　place。

3。　For　which　reason　they　removed　their　camp　to　Hebron；　and　when
they　had　taken　it；　they　slew　all　the　inhabitants。　There　were　till
then　left　the　race　of　giants；　who　had　bodies　so　large；　and
countenances　so　entirely　different　from　other　men；　that　they　were
surprising　to　the　sight；　and　terrible　to　the　hearing。　The　bones
of　these　men　are　still　shown　to　this　very　day；　unlike　to　any
credible　relations　of　other　men。　Now　they　gave　this　city　to　the
Levites　as　an　extraordinary　reward；　with　the　suburbs　of　two
thousand　cities；　but　the　land　thereto　belonging　they　gave　as　a
free　gift　to　Caleb；　according　to　the　injunctions　of　Moses。　This
Caleb　was　one　of　the　spies　which　Moses　sent　into　the　land　of
Canaan。　They　also　gave　land　for　habitation　to　the　posterity　of
Jethro；　the　Midianite；　who　was　the　father…in…law　to　Moses；　for
they　had　left　their　own　country；　and　followed　them；　and
accompanied　them　in　the　wilderness。

4。　Now　the　tribes　of　Judah　and　Simeon　took　the　cities　which　were
in　the　mountainous　part　of　Canaan；　as　also　Askelon　and　Ashdod；　of
those　that　lay　near　the　sea；　but　Gaza　and　Ekron　escaped　them；　for
they；　lying　in　a　flat　country；　and　having　a　great　number　of
chariots；　sorely　galled　those　that　attacked　them。　So　these
tribes；　when　they　were　grown　very　rich　by　this　war；　retired　to
their　own　cities；　and　laid　aside　their　weapons　of　war。

5。　But　the　Benjamites；　to　whom　belonged　Jerusalem；　permitted　its
inhabitants　to　pay　tribute。　So　they　all　left　off；　the　one　to
kill；　and　the　other　to　expose　themselves　to　danger；　and　had　time
to　cultivate　the　ground。　The　rest　of　the　tribes　imitated　that　of
Benjamin；　and　did　the　same；　and；　contenting　themselves　with　the
tributes　that　were　paid　them；　permitted　the　Canaanites　to　live　in
peace。

6。　However；　the　tribe　of　Ephraim；　when　they　besieged　Bethel；　made
no　advance；　nor　performed　any　thing　worthy　of　the　time　they
spent；　and　of　the　pains　they　took　about　that　siege；　yet　did　they
persist　in　it；　still　sitting　down　before　the　city；　though　they
endured　great　trouble　thereby：　but；　after　some　time；　they　caught
one　of　the　citizens　that　came　to　them　to　get　necessaries；　and
they　gave　him　some　assurances　that；　if　he　would　deliver　up　the
city　to　them；　they　would　preserve　him　and　his　kindred；　so　he
aware　that；　upon　those　terms；　he　would　put　the　city　into　their
hands。　Accordingly；　he　that；　thus　betrayed　the　city　was　preserved
with　his　family；　and　the　Israelites　slew　all　the　inhabitants；　and
retained　the　city　for　themselves。

7。　After　this；　the　Israelites　grew　effeminate　as　to　fighting　any
more　against　their　enemies；　but　applied　themselves　to　the
cultivation　of　the　land；　which　producing　them　great　plenty　and
riches；　they　neglected　the　regular　disposition　of　their
settlement；　and　indulged　themselves　in　luxury　and　pleasures；　nor
were　they　any　longer　careful　to　hear　the　laws　that　belonged　to
their　political　government：　whereupon　God　was　provoked　to　anger；
and　put　them　in　mind；　first；　how；　contrary　to　his　directions；
they　had　spared　the　Canaanites；　and；　after　that；　how　those
Canaanites；　as　opportunity　served；　used　them　very　barbarously。
But　the　Israelites；　though　they　were　in　heaviness　at　these
admonitions　from　God；　yet　were　they　still　very　unwilling　to　go　to
war；　and　since　they　got　large　tributes　from　the　Canaanites；　and
were　indisposed　for　taking　pains　by　their　luxury；　they　suffered
their　aristocracy　to　be　corrupted　also；　and　did　not　ordain
themselves　a　senate；　nor　any　other　such　magistrates　as　their　laws
had　formerly　required；　but　they　were　very　much　given　to
cultivating　their　fields；　in　order　to　get　wealth；　which　great
indolence　of　theirs　brought　a　terrible　sedition　upon　them；　and
they　proceeded　so　far　as　to　fight　one　against　another；　from　the
following　occasion：　…　

8。　There　was　a　Levite　（12）　a　man　of　a　vulgar　family；　that
belonged　to　the　tribe　of　Ephraim；　and　dwelt　therein：　this　man
married　a　wife　from　Bethlehem；　which　is　a　place　belonging　to　the
tribe　of　Judah。　Now　he　was　very　fond　of　his　wife；　and　ov